Something More Than Gold
by Jenna Cassie Herdz
Summary: When Sarah introduces Jim to a girl at his party, he finds her unforgettable. Now a Captain of his own ship, the blast from his past stows away on his ship with four others he knows all too well.
1. Prologue

**A/N:** Welcome to my Treasure Planet fic! i do not own Treasure Planet. nothing much 2 say about this 1 except, enjoy!

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Prologue

Jim turned back from the window and laughed as he saw BEN still dancing and smiled when he noticed his mother, Sarah looking back at him. She waved him over and he shook his head when he realized she wanted to dance some more. She stepped toward him and he tried to get away but she grabbed his hand and led him to the floor. She knew he wasn't all that great a dancer, why was she dragging him out on there. Jim mentally shrugged it off and tried it anyway. He smiled as he tried to lead his mother and she was busting up trying to follow.

"You enjoy trying to make a fool out of me, don't you?" Jim wondered, jokingly and Sarah only nodded making him shake his head. When the music finally ended, Jim bowed to his mother and she curtsied then pulled him into a hug, laughing.

"You should dance with someone else besides _me_, Jim," she murmured. "There are a lot of fine girls here."

"Mom!" Jim whined. "Quit it, will ya?!"

"You know, that girl over there is really pretty," his mother continued. "Why don't you go talk to her? She seems lonely."

"Mom," he scolded, not looking in the direction she was nodding.

"Go on, Jim!" she insisted. "Ask her to dance!"

"I'm gonna see Delbert and Amelia, mom," he replied. "Why don't you dance with BEN for a while? He seems to know what he's doing."

Morph suddenly popped up between them and morphed into an imitation of BEN dancing crazily and the two laughed. Jim kissed Sarah on the cheek and headed to a table where Delbert and Amelia were sitting with their four babies.

"Jim!" Delbert grinned, standing and placing a hand on his shoulder. "You haven't met the children yet, have you?"

"No," Jim smiled, shaking his head and sitting down at the table across from Amelia. "Hello, Captain."

"Mr. Hawkins," Amelia nodded as she held their baby boy who looked just like his father.

"Now," Delbert started, sitting next to Jim and looking into the huge basket on the table where the three girls were laying. "The red head is Penny, the brunette is Charlotte and the blonde is Katherine. Our son's name is Albert." He waved Jim closer and the young man stood to gaze into the basket. "Say 'Hello' to Uncle Jim, girls."

Jim waved and grinned as the three girls, who looked exactly like their mother and the triplets raised their hands, pumping their fists and wanting to be held.

"Would you like to hold one of them, Jim?" Delbert asked, already standing and reaching into the basket for one of them.

"Oh, no, I probably shouldn't," Jim sputtered, standing and backing away as he held up his hands and shook his head.

"Nonsense!" Delbert said, pulling Charlotte, the brunette girl, from the basket and in one, swift movement, placed her in Jim's hands. "Here."

Jim made a grunt as he quickly stiffened his arms and held Charlotte at half arms length with a worried look. Charlotte giggled and made raspberries, causing a bubble to form and pop on her lip. Jim laughed slightly and Delbert helped him situate her in his arms. She stuck her thumb in her mouth and her eyes started closing as she snuggled in his arms to get comfortable. Jim couldn't help but smirk in awe as he watched the little one fall asleep in his arms.

"She's kinda…cute," he breathed and Delbert nodded as Amelia chuckled and placed Albert in the basket with his sisters then picked up the blonde girl from the basket.

"Jim?"

He turned around when his mother called to see Sarah standing next to a girl about his head with water blue eyes and dirty blonde hair that fell loose to her elbows with curled tips. She wore a flouncy pink dress with a slight "V" neck collar and elbow length sleeves lined with short feathers. Her hands were clasped in front of her and a small, shy smile on her lips.

"This is Questa," Sarah introduced. "Questa, this is Jim, my son. The man of the hour."

"Mom," Jim scolded, handing Charlotte back to Delbert, carefully. He turned to the women, but he hesitated before bowing, seeing just how pretty the girl his mother was introducing to him was. She curtsied in return.

"Congratulations, Jim," she nodded and Morph suddenly floated up next to her, making her gasp in surprise at him. "Oh, hello."

Morph laughed and floated toward Jim where he landed on his chest and morphed into an exaggeratingly beating heart. Jim blushed and placed his hands over Morph to gather him up and toss him away in embarrassment. He laughed nervously as Questa giggled, a delicate hand over her mouth as Sarah glanced between them, slyly.

"Why don't you ask her to dance, Jim?" she smirked and Jim stared at his mother with wide eyes. She nodded to Questa who cast her eyes down shyly and Jim straightened, clearing his throat. He rubbed his fingers against his palm nervously then held his hand toward her to take.

"M-May I have this dance?" he mumbled and Questa gave a smile as she nodded.

"Yes, you may," she replied, shyly and took his hand. Jim swallowed as they stepped toward the floor and Sarah winked at Delbert slyly. The couple began dancing and there an awkward silence that reigned over them for a moment before Jim thought of something to spark conversation.

"So, what brings you to Montressor?" he wondered and she looked up at him from their feet with wide eyes.

"My father had some cargo to leave here," she replied. "He's captain of a ship from Capernium. We brought some rare foods with us."

"All the way from Capernium?" Jim breathed and Questa nodded. "What made you come here?"

"Well, my father heard that you had been enrolled into the Academy," she explained. "He's heard of your talents. He wanted to meet you."

Jim frowned and glanced around at the people that weren't dancing. He didn't see anyone resembling Questa so he looked back at her and leaned in to whisper, "Where is he?"

"Oh, he saw you, earlier," she smiled. "He was rather tired, so he went to his room. We're actually staying here tonight. We're leaving in the morning."

"You are?" Jim asked, a bit disappointed and Questa nodded. "Where will you go now?"

"Probably back home," she replied.

"Does he usually bring you with him on his runs?"

"Sometimes. It depends on where he's going." She suddenly burst into a smile. "Perhaps, when you become a captain, we'll run into each other?"

Jim chuckled and nodded. The music ended and he bowed as Questa curtsied, still holding his hand then stood tall.

"I enjoyed dancing with you, Mr. Hawkins," she smiled. "You're not as bad a dancer as your mother let on."

Jim laughed nervously and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Well, the song was slower, which helped," he replied and Questa laughed as they walked toward an empty table. "I wasn't expecting mom to make me dance with anyone. I'm sorry if I wasn't light on my feet out there."

"On the contrary," Questa smiled as they sat across from each other. "You were rather good."

"Thanks," he smiled and the awkward silence rolled over them again until he said, "So…your name is rather unusual."

She looked to him with a frown.

"Not that it's not pretty--- I mean it _is_ a pretty name," Jim sputtered. "I was just wondering…does it mean anything?"

"Oh, yes," she nodded. "It means 'Quest,' in the Latin."

"Latin?" Jim echoed, questioningly.

"An old language that hardly _anyone_ speaks anymore," she explained, sweetly. "It's a rather remarkable coincidence that my name means that, because I _love_ to travel."

"Really?" Jim asked, leaning closer to her with one arm on the table.

"Oh, yes!" she grinned, leaning on her elbows on the table. "I _especially_ love visiting places I've never been before. Meeting new people, and seeing new things. It's so wonderful!"

Jim just grinned at her, unaware that he was dreamy eyed. She giggled at his goofy face and leaned closer to him.

"What do _you_ like about traveling, Mr. Hawkins?" she murmured, sweetly. This seemed to bring him out of his trance and he shook his head a bit to wake himself up before replying.

"Well, I haven't done much of it, yet," he replied, humbly. "But so far, I like the traveling part of it, you know?"

Questa gave a slight frown then admitted, "I don't understand."

"Well," Jim began, shifting to face her completely and lean on the table with both arms. "What I mean is, when you're actually _on_ the ship and on your way to your destination. You see all kinds of new things. I'd never been away from Montressor before, so when I went on my first expedition, I saw all kinds of things you probably couldn't see from a planet. And being up in space, sailing past stars---I actually saw a star go supernova!"

"Did you?!" Questa breathed in fascination. "I've read about that before, and father has told me about it, but I've never actually _seen_ one! What's it like?!"

"Bumpy, when you're on a ship," Jim smirked making her giggle. "It's a huge explosion that sends debris everywhere, and the one _I_ saw devolved into a black hole. It almost sucked us in, but there were these waves that came from it, and one of them, the biggest one, pushed us out."

"Oh, my!" Questa breathed and placed her hand on his. "You must have been terrified!"

They both suddenly looked down at her hand on his and back up at each other. She pulled her hand away and smiled, nervously as Jim slid his hand closer to himself and did the same. Questa cast her eyes down, trying to hide the blush that came to her cheeks but she knew it was no use and Jim was glancing around, trying desperately to think of what to say to break their resumed silence.

"I wasn't _too_ scared," he finally answered her question and she looked up at him as he started twiddling his thumbs on the table. "I knew we'd get out of it alright."

"And how, pray tell, did you know that?" she smirked, trying to get things back to the way they had been before. He looked up at her, his sky blue eyes wide with wonder. He smirked back and straightened to puff his chest out with dramatic and fake pride.

"Because, I'm Jim Hawkins," he replied. "I'm immune to being pulled to my death by black holes."

Questa giggled and nodded respectfully as Jim sat normally again. He suddenly saw a man with tousled blonde hair and blue eyes stroll up behind her. Jim stood and Questa looked up behind her with a frown.

"Oh, father," she said as she stood and Jim's eyes shot wide in disbelief as he glanced between them. Questa slid her arm through the man's a turned to Jim as she said, "Jim, this is my father, Quinn. Daddy, this is Jim Hawkins."

Jim was speechless but found some way to lift his hand for the captain to shake, which he did with a smile.

"I've heard nothing but good things about you, Mr. Hawkins," he said. "Amelia tells me you have an intelligent mind."

"You know Captain Amelia?" Jim wondered, finally finding his voice and Quinn nodded.

"She and I are old friends," he smiled then turned to Questa. "You should come upstairs now, darling. It's getting late."

"But father---!"

"No buts," Quinn interrupted her protest. "We leave early tomorrow." He turned back to Jim. "If you'll excuse us, Jim. Congratulations and I hope to see you again."

"You too, Captain," Jim nodded and with that the older man left, giving Questa a look that said "Come along."

"Well, I suppose I should go," she murmured, disappointment hinited in her tone. Jim nodded, also disappointed and held his hand to her.

"I hope we meet again," he smiled as she glanced at his hand then at his face. She smiled and nodded as she placed her hand in his for a slight hand shake. She turned to walk away when he let go of her hand but something stopped her. Jim watched with a slight frown as she glanced between him and the direction her father had left. She suddenly hurried toward Jim and before he could move, she placed a kiss on his cheek and rushed off to follow her father.

Jim stood there for a moment, dumbfounded then touched his cheek where she had kissed him. A smile of awe came to his lips as his whole face lit up and he watched her hurry off. He sat in the chair again, his hand never leaving his cheek as he stared into space in disbelief. A pretty girl liked him enough to kiss him! That had never happened before. He glanced down at himself and straightened his jacket with pride and a smirk.

"_Must be the uniform_," he thought. Morph suddenly appeared on his shoulder and changed into a little Questa head and started kissing him all over his face.

"Hey!" Jim laughed, reddening in embarrassment. "You little squid! Knock it off!" He grabbed hold of the morph and held him in his hand. He changed into an imitation of the couple. The little Questa flung her arms around the little Jim, and the little Jim dipped her back as she held a wrist to her forehead dramatically.

"A morph is worth a thousand words."

Jim jumped when he turned to see Delbert smirking behind him, and Jim covered Morph in his hands as he stood and whirled around to see not only the doctor, but his mother, smirking as well.

"You planned that, didn't you?" he wondered at Sarah who only gazed around, innocently.

"Planned what?" she asked and Jim shook his head with a smirk. He wasn't mad. On the contrary, he was happy his mother had insisted he dance with her. She had been so cute and interesting. He would never forget her, he knew it.

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**A/N:** i thought my little things with Morph were funny. i love Morph! anywho, reviews?


	2. The RLS Questa

**A/N: **and here's the first chappie! i'm glad a lot of people like the story on the prologue. makin a jump here...enjoy!

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_**Chapter 1: The RLS Questa**_

Twenty-five year old Captain James Pleiades Hawkins stood on the bowsprit of his ship, one hand holding onto a line and letting himself swing slightly back and forth while still keeping his balance. He loved this. Sailing through space with nothing his crew, his cargo, and a destination. Getting there was the best part for him. Seeing things he would have never seen if he hadn't made the journey in the first place. He breathed deeply and smiled, his eyes closed as he enjoyed the breeze that whipped through his hair.

"Captain?"

Jim sighed in exasperation and swung around to face the bow of the ship where a man with golden eyes and short, chocolate brown hair. He wore a first officer's uniform and held his hand's behind his back, his hat on his head and stood straight in front of his captain.

"Yes, Mr. Reynolds?" Jim asked, irritably.

"We're coming up on Montressor Space Port, Sir," the officer replied.

"Yes, Allen, I see that," Jim replied, balancing his way back toward the deck. He stood in front of the other man who only smirked.

"Forgive me, Sir," Allen nodded.

"For what?" Jim asked with a crooked frown then patted his first officer on the shoulder as he passed him to walk toward the main deck. "You're only doing your job."

"Yes, Sir," Allen nodded, following Jim.

"How many times do I have to tell you to go ahead and call me 'Jim'?" he asked as they both walked toward the helm, spacers bustling about the ship. "My first officer for five years now and you _still_ call me 'Sir'."

"Sorry, S-Jim," Allen nodded as they headed up the steps of the forecastle. "Won't happen again."

Jim rolled his eyes at the propriety of his first officer as he stood next to his helmsman and Allen stood next to him.

"Coming home, Captain?" the helmsman asked, and Jim smirked in reply. "When do we set out again, Sir? If you don't mind me asking?"

"I don't mind you asking," Jim replied. "And I'm not sure. Let's just have a good time while we're here."

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"Jim!" Sarah gasped as he stood in the doorway of The Benboe Inn and she ran to him, arms open wide. He laughed as he hugged his mother who hugged him back fiercely then pushed away to look at him. "Why didn't you tell me you were coming home?!"

"I wanted to surprise you," he smiled and pulled her back for another hug.

"I missed you!" she smiled, her hand on his head.

"I missed you too, mom," he murmured and they pulled away again. "I don't know how long we'll be here. I'll have to go to the space port tomorrow and see what---"

"Jim?!"

He frowned as he looked behind his mother. The inn was empty, which was odd, and caught his attention first. But the next thing that caught his attention was hurrying down the stairs where the rooms were. Jim's eyes widened when he recognized the person now standing at the bottom of the stairs.

"It can't be," he breathed, and Sarah let him walk toward the other person in awe. "Is it really you? I haven't seen you in…" He trailed off when he couldn't remember.

"Ten years," she replied. "It was brief but…" She trailed off as well, embarrassed to mention what she had done.

"Memorable," Jim finished for her as he stopped in front of her. "Questa, I can't believe--- You look so…"

"_Beautiful_," he thought. "Different," he said instead.

"So do you," Questa smiled. "I knew you'd make captain."

Jim suddenly remembered that Sarah was still there and turned to her as she still stood by the doorway.

"Mom---"

"I have things to do," she smiled and walked toward the two, patting his shoulder reassuringly. "You two should catch up. You see me almost all the time."

"That's not---"

"Go ahead," Sarah insisted, gently pushing them both toward a table. "Do you want something to eat?"

"No, thank you, Mrs. Hawkins," Questa smiled, sitting at the table, Jim in front of her.

"No, thanks, mom," he replied as well and leaving a kiss on her son's temple, Sarah headed for the kitchen, a sly smile adorning her lips. Jim turned his attention back to Questa who smiled at him sweetly.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, leaning toward her.

"I've been here for a few days, now," she shrugged. "I came from Prodius One."

"Did your father bring you?" Jim wondered, and immediately regretted asking when Questa looked down into her lap, a pout on her lips.

"What happened?" he asked gently, placing a hand on the table and reaching for her in case she needed something to hold. She glanced at his hand but didn't take it. She pulled a handkerchief from the long sleeve of her dress and began dabbing her eyes.

"M-My father…" she tried, beginning to cry. "H-He was making a run to a rich planet, somewhere in the Meccor System. He had gold and jewels and things like that on the ship. He wouldn't take me, no matter how much I begged. He said it would be too dangerous because the ship might be attacked by pirates. Well, he-he _was_ attacked by pirates…and they k---" She let out a sob, placing her handkerchief over her mouth trying to stifle it. "They killed him!"

She burst into sobs and Jim stared at her in wide eyed shock and sympathy. Feeling he should do something to comfort her, he moved from his chair and knelt down in front of her. She gasped when she saw him in front of her, but continued sobbing as he placed a hand on hers with a warm smile.

"I'm sorry," he murmured and she nodded in acceptance, but still let out a few sobs. He looked down at his hands as he rested his wrists on his knees and twiddled his thumbs. "I know what it's like to lose your father."

Questa sniffled and frowned at him in wonder then asked, "Your father died, too?"

"No," Jim replied in a low voice. "He left, a long time ago. But it's no different then losing him in death. You feel like it's your fault, and you feel angry because he's gone…" He trailed off and looked into her wide, watery eyes. "Right?"

She only nodded and Jim smiled warmly again, taking both her hands into his this time.

"It's not your fault," he assured her. "There was nothing you could have done."

Questa sniffled and nodded in understanding but Jim could still see she blamed herself. When someone you love dies, you often blame yourself, finding some ridiculous reason that it might be your fault. He took a knee and slid his arms around her, making her give a subtle squeak in surprise. After a moment of not knowing what was going on, Questa relaxed and hugged him back and after another moment, he slowly pulled away from her, his heart thudding in his chest.

"Alright, now?" he hoped, and Questa nodded, dabbing more tears away from her eyes. Jim nodded in satisfaction then noticed another tear escape down her cheek. Without thinking he brushed it away with his thumb and suddenly froze when his eyes met her shocked gaze. They said nothing and they didn't move. They just sat there for a moment and finally Jim pulled his hand away and stood to sit back in his chair again.

"When did it happen?" Jim wondered, looking everywhere else but at her.

"About the same time I arrived here," Questa replied, still wiping away her tears. "A few days ago."

"I'm really sorry," he said again, not knowing what else to say.

"It's alright," Questa smiled, weakly. "Your mother has been _so_ nice to me."

"How did you end up here from Prodius One?" he wondered, thankful that she had given him an opening to change the subject.

"My father had made runs here quite often," Questa explained. "After the night of your party we came here to rest. Father and I got to know your mother very quickly and we were all great friends. After I received the news that father had been killed, I didn't know where else to go. My mother died giving birth to me and now Sarah has been the closest thing to a mother to me."

"You made more runs here after we met?" Jim wondered and Questa nodded. "How come I never saw you?"

"You were never here when we were," she shrugged. "And by the time you came home, we were in bed, and you were so tired…" She trailed off and turned a frown toward him. "Your mother never mentioned when we were here?"

Jim shook his head and her frown deepened.

"I thought she would," she murmured, but shrugged. "Well, I suppose it doesn't matter now, right? We're both here now."

Jim smiled and nodded, leaning on the table to be a little closer to her.

"Now, _Captain_," Questa smiled, leaning toward him as well. "Tell me of your adventures! I want to hear about everything!"

"Where should I start?" Jim laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Start with the name of your ship," Questa smiled. "What is it?"

Jim stared at her with wide eyes, his heart thudding in panic. This was going to be embarrassing, he knew it.

"Uh, well…" he trailed off, glancing everywhere else except at her. "I-I named her myself…"

"What did you name it?" Questa insisted, frowning at his hesitance.

"Uh… I named her…" He took a deep breath, slouching in defeat. There was no way he was going to get around this. "She's the RLS…Questa."

Questa gasped, a hand over her mouth as he looked at her cautiously. She lowered her hand and he frowned when he noticed a slight smile of awe on her lips.

"What made you name it that?" she wondered, honestly. Jim's frown deepened. Didn't she realize why he named it that?

"It's named after _you_," he clarified, wanting to be sure she got it. Her eyes widened and she leaned closer to him.

"Really?" she breathed. "Why?"

"Well, because," he shrugged. "I was glad I met you and I always wanted to remember you."

She smiled sweetly and reached out, touching his hand. He froze and looked up at her but she only continued smiling.

"I'm glad I met you, too," she murmured and he smiled in awe. "This may sound strange but, I missed you."

"I missed you, too!" he grinned, placing his other hand on hers. "I thought you'd think it would sound strange coming from _me_!"

Questa giggled and opened her mouth to reply but there was crashing coming from upstairs. Jim looked at the ceiling and frowned when he heard hisses and yelps but Questa only rolled her.

"I'll be back, Jim," she smiled and left to march toward the stairs but before she even reached the bottom step a huge ball of wiggling, furry children came tumbling down the stairs and landed at her feet. Jim stood and headed for the stairs cautiously as Questa placed her hands on her hips.

"Ow! Quit pulling my ear!" a little boy voice barked.

"You stepped on my foot!" a girl voice hissed.

"He did not!" another protested.

"Did too!" another chimed in.

"Alright, that's enough!" Questa snapped, and the four on the floor looked up at her with wide eyes. "I can't leave you alone for a _moment_, can I?"

"Well, you four haven't changed so much," Jim smiled at the four as they all stood and they looked at him with lit up faces.

"Uncle Jim!" they all cheered and ran at him to hug his legs. "We missed you! Did you bring us anything?!"

"Not this trip, sorry," he smirked, patting each of them on the head. "Where's your mom and dad?"

"Mommy set sail today," the blonde, Katherine, replied.

"But she'll be back in a few weeks," the red-head, Penny, continued.

"Daddy's gone to the market," Charlotte, the brunette reported.

"But he'll be back in a few minutes!" Albert, the only boy, finished off.

"Take us on your ship, Uncle Jim!" they suddenly asked, jumping all around him.

"I don't think your parents would appreciate that," he laughed, and the little ones whined, huffed and pouted.

"Why not?" Questa wondered, chiming in and they all looked to her. "Amelia takes them on her ship all the time. I'm sure it won't do them any harm."

"W-Well," Jim sputtered, rubbing the back of his neck and the quadruplets resumed jumping up and down in excitement around him.

"I'll go with them," Questa smiled, heading for the door Sarah had disappeared through. "I'll just tell Sarah where we've gone, and we'll be right back."

Before Jim could protest she too disappeared through the door and he looked down at the four around him.

"Alright, then," he shrugged. "Go get your coats so you don't freeze your little tails off."

"Yay!" the children cheered and ran back upstairs.

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"Here she is," Jim smiled, raising his hands to the _RLS Questa_.

"Oh, Jim," Questa breathed, still staring at the ship as the children ran toward the gangplank to board. "She's beautiful!"

"_Just like you_," he thought, but caught sight of the children boarding before he could respond.

"Kids! Wait up!" he called, and quickly gripped Questa's wrist to drag her toward the children. Once on board the four tried to run around the ship but Jim and Questa quickly caught them, one in each hand.

"This isn't like your mother's ship," Questa told them. "No one knows you here like your mother's crew."

"And besides," Jim chimed in. "If anything happened to you four, your mother would scratch the daylights outta me."

The children giggled, knowing their mother had a temper when it came to her children.

"S-Jim!" Allen called as he walked toward them from the bow. "Have we received our orders?"

"Not yet," Jim replied. "I just wanted to give my friends a tour of the ship. Questa, this is Allen, my first officer. Allen, this Questa."

"A pleasure, ma'am," Allen smiled as he gave a slight bow then gazed at the children with a warm smile as he knelt down to their level.

"You must be Captain Amelia's children, hm?" he smiled. "I've heard much about you from the Captain and your mother."

"You know our mother?" Katherine smiled, as she still held Jim's hand.

"I do," Allen nodded then began guessing who they all were, looking at each as he said their names, starting with the one that spoke first. "You must be Katherine, and you're Penny, and that's Charlotte, and of course, Albert."

The four of them nodded as the girls giggled in excitement when he stood back up. Albert glanced at his sisters and rolled his eyes. They thought he was handsome, of course.

"Sir," Allen called, looking back up at Jim. "If you'd like, I'd be happy to take these fine children off your hands and give them a tour of ship myself."

"Hmm," Jim hummed in thought as the children stared at him with wide eyes. He was being dramatic for them. Allen was a good man, and he loved children, so he knew they wouldn't get into trouble…_and_ he would get more time alone with Questa.

"Alright," he finally nodded and the girls cheered as Albert plugged his ears over their screams.

"Behave for him, you four!" Questa called as Allen led them to a hatch that led below deck. She sighed and Jim held his arm out for her to take. She glanced at it, then smiled and wrapped her arm around his.

"And now, for your private tour of the _RLS Questa_," Jim smiled and Questa giggled.

"It wasn't too much trouble for Allen to take the children, was it?" she couldn't help but wonder as they walked to the helm.

"No," Jim shrugged and shook his head. "He's good with kids. I'm surprised he doesn't have any of his own yet."

"Is he married?" Questa wondered.

"Yeah," Jim nodded. "He's been married for…two years now."

"I see," she nodded, as Jim helped her up the stairs to the helm and her eyes lit up as she looked at Jim. "Would you mind terribly if I took the helm?"

"Go ahead," Jim smiled and Questa giggled as she stood at the wheel and placed her hands gently on it.

"Father always used to let me do this when we were in port," she murmured as he came up next to her. "Sometimes, when we were sailing, he would let me stand in front of him at the helm while he manned it."

"That was nice of him," Jim smiled and Questa nodded. Jim panicked when her face slowly lost its glow of happiness and tried to think of something to do to cheer her up. He slowly walked up behind her and placed his hands on the helm next to hers, making her jump and look at his hands.

"He'd do this, right?" he asked, knowing it was a lame move, but he had to try anyway.

"Y-Yes," she sputtered and chanced looking back at him. She jumped again when she found his face dangerously close to hers as he looked down at her and cleared her throat.

"P-Perhaps we should get back to the Benboe Inn?" she wondered, breathlessly, her heart pounding in her chest.

"Sure," he replied, still staring at her. "Delbert might be wondering where his kids are."

"Uncle Jim!"

The two at the helm jumped when they heard four harmonies call out to him and looked toward the deck to see Allen wobbling down the deck, one child on each leg, another at his head and one dragging him by the arm.

"Kids!" he couldn't help but laugh as he let his arms down so that Questa could hurry down the stairs toward them. Jim followed calmly behind her. "Giving Mr. Reynolds a hard time are you?"

"Not at all, Sir," Allen corrected in a laugh as Questa gathered Albert from his shoulders. "We've been having a grand time, haven't we children?"

"Yeah!" the children cheered.

"I want to be a spacer!" Charlotte called as she unlatched herself from his leg.

"Me, too!" Penny agreed as she detached herself from his other leg.

"What about you, Kate?" Allen smiled down at her when she didn't let go of his hand.

"I think I'll just _marry_ a sailor one day," she smiled, batting her eyes at him, flirtatiously and Allen laughed nervously.

"Alright, kids," Jim laughed, noticing Allen's discomfort with that. "Time to head back. I haven't gotten a chance to see your parents since I've been here!"

The children groaned but started to head toward the gangplank.

"I promise, next time I come, we'll _all_ have a tour of the ship…"

"Captain!"

Jim frowned as he looked over the railing and saw one of his crew hurrying toward him from the gangplank.

"What's wrong?" Jim frowned as the man came up to him, panting.

"We've got our orders, Sir," the man replied, holding out a piece of paper to Jim. "We're to ship a large shipment of valuables a planet just outside the Lagoon Nebula."

Jim frowned deeper as he took the paper from the spacer and unfolded it to read its contents. His eyes widened but he quickly went expressionless and folded the paper back up to shove it in his coat pocket.

"Alright," Jim nodded then turned to Questa as the spacer went to his post. "I'm sorry, but the shipment is on its way. I have to over-see things here as it arrives and leave as soon as possible."

"No!" the children called, voicing Questa's thoughts as well as she only nodded in disappointment.

"Come along, children," she urged, sorrowfully. "Jim has a lot to do as a spacer. We can't be in the way."

"You're not in the way," Jim assured her, gently taking her arm when she tried to walk the children away and she looked back at him. "I just think you should go back because…" He glanced around and stood a little closer to her to whisper. "I'm not sure about some of the guys who might be bringing in the shipment."

Questa nodded as he pulled away and he smiled, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Tell my mother I said good-bye for me?" he hoped. "I don't think I'll be able to get away before we launch."

"Of course," she nodded. "I hope we see each other again."

"So do I," he smiled. Still holding her arm he glanced around as the children played with Allen then quickly placed a kiss on her cheek and stood back as she stared at him with wide eyes.

"Uncle Jim! Let us go with you!" Penny called as she ran at him and threw her arms around his legs.

"No, no, no," he laughed, grateful she kept things from being awkward between him and Questa. "Your mother would _kill_ me if I did that."

"C-Come on, children," Questa called, still staring at Jim with wide eyes and he looked up at her. "Jim has lots of things to do. Let's be off!"

She ushered the children toward the gangplank as they whined and complained and said a quick good-bye to Jim on their way. Questa looked back at Jim for a moment and he noticed a blush on her cheeks that he couldn't help but smile at. She gave a girlish wave and hurried after the children as they took off. Allen came up next to Jim as he watched the five hurry across the quay and glanced at his captain.

"She's a beauty, Sir," he complimented, and Jim glanced at him before straightening. "If you'd like to go with her---?"

"I have things to do on ship," Jim interrupted. "Our shipment is very valuable and I need to make sure all of it gets on board _personally_."

* * *

**A/N:** Ooh! what is this mysterious cargo?! hell if i know myself...lol j/k how'd ya like it? reviews?


	3. Stowaways

**A/N:** omg, how long has it been? enjoy!

* * *

_**Chapter 2: Stowaways**_

"Here's the last crate, Sir," one of the loading men strained, setting down a heavy crate on the deck.

"Alright," Jim nodded as he signed his name on a paper held on a clipboard which one of the other loaders had given him.

"Where do you want the men to move these, Sir?" Allen asked, looking around at the ten huge crates.

"Put them in a cell in the brig under lock and key," Jim replied, handing the clipboard to one of the loaders after signing his name as proof that the cargo was now aboard his ship.

"In the _brig_, Sir?" Allen wondered is he'd heard right and Jim nodded.

"I don't want anyone else handling this cargo but the men who put it in the cell," Jim explained. "And when we get to our destination, those same men will unload it. Is that understood, Allen?"

"Y-Yes, Sir," Allen replied with a small salute, a look of awed confusion at his captain who only stayed stone-faced.

"Hurry and get it down there," Jim ordered, heading toward the helm. "When it's locked up meet me by the helm, Mr. Reynolds."

"Aye, Captain," Allen replied, still in shock. He turned and looked around at some of the men standing around and waiting for orders. "Well, hop to it! Get these crates to the brig and into a cell! Quickly now!"

The spacers jumped and started bustling around the deck to fulfill their orders. No one noticed Allen look back to where his captain had gone to stand at the helm. Nor did anyone notice a figure on the quay, a cloak covering it as it waited for the bustling to stop.

* * *

_Three hours after launch..._

Jim sighed tiredly as he shut the door to his cabin behind him. Running a hand through his hair he trudged toward his desk and plopped into the chair then leaned forward and let his forehead rest on the desk's surface. He wanted to sleep but he knew he wasn't _nearly_ done with all the things he needed to do. Sighing again he sat up and tried rubbing the sleep from his eyes then scanned over the map on his desk and decided he should figure out how long it would take for them to get to their destination, Lachrymose Moon, and back to the space port.

If things ran smoothly, without any stops along the way, he calculated a week, two at most, before he could get back to Montressor. He sighed at that too. Two weeks without seeing _her_. After ten years of not seeing her, he thought two weeks would be easy, but he was already starting to miss her a little.

"Now, why is that?" he asked himself. "It's not like we even really _know_ each other, really. I mean, I only met her twice, and we didn't talk much about anything." He rubbed his chest under his jacket with a frown. "So why does my chest hurt like I'm getting squeezed or something?"

Jim sighed again and stood to walk to one of his cabinets he kept snacks for himself in. He opened up a bottle, poured some water into a glass and chugged it down like a man dying of thirst. He set the glass down and went to pour himself some more when he froze, hearing a faint shuffling in the cabinet at his feet. He was about to take his pistol from his belt but froze again when he heard something he couldn't believe.

"Stop shoving!" a small voice whined, softly and Jim stepped back quietly to stare at the closed cabinet in disbelief.

"It's not _me_!" another small voice replied. "It's _her_!"

"There's no room to move in here!" a third voice argued. "I can't help it!"

"I'm stuck in this place with a bunch of _girls_!" one last voice grumbled.

Jim had had enough. He gritted his teeth, squatted and flung the door open to reveal four, crumpled children that stared at him with wide eyes.

"What are you four doing here?!" he seethed, his eyes boiling with anger.

"We stowed away, Uncle Jim!" Penny grinned, some of her red hair in her face which she blew out of her eyes.

"Yes, I can see that," he replied through clenched teeth. "I'm asking _why_?!"

"Captain!" Allen shouted through the door to his cabin, knocking fervently as well. Jim looked up at the door then at the children again.

"Get out of there," he ordered then stood and marched toward the door as Allen still knocked and the four children crawled out of their hiding place. Jim yanked the door to his cabin open. "What is it Mr. Reyn---?!"

He cut himself off when he saw Allen holding a squirming woman by the arm. It was none other than Questa herself, and Jim couldn't help but stare at her with wide eyes filled with disbelief. He'd expected this from the children…but _her_?

"I found her in one of the barrels in the kitchen, Sir," Allen reported, pulling her a little closer as she still struggled. "She was just climbing out when I caught her."

Jim glanced at his first officer's hand on Questa's arm and set his jaw, seeing his grip was too tight on her. He took her by her free arm and pulled her out of Allen's grasp.

"There's no need to _man handle_ her, Allen!" he snapped, pulling Questa into his cabin. "She's a _lady_, remember that!"

He slammed the door in Allen's face and the first officer stared at it in wide-eyed disbelief then muttered, "I didn't think I was holding her that tight at all."

* * *

Jim turned his back to the door and glared at Questa who stared back at him, frozen in the middle of his cabin as the children lined themselves up along his desk and watched the scene unfold, quiet for the moment.

"Jim, he wasn't---"

"How'd you get on my ship?" he asked, interrupting her. "More importantly, _why_ did you stow away and bring the kids along?"

"They followed me," Questa replied, calmly. "And I…I don't know why I stowed away."

Jim's angry glare turned into a wide-eyed gaze of shock as she cast her eyes down and twiddling her fingers.

"I got to the Benbow Inn and five minutes later, I went back to the port," she continued. "I don't know why…I couldn't…let you go."

Jim swallowed as he stared at her, still twiddling her fingers. He couldn't help but see how cute she was when she did that, but as he looked at the children lined up at his desk he realized he didn't have time to think about that.

"You know I'm gonna have to take you back," he explained, gently. "If Amelia finds out that I took her kids on a run with me…especially on _this_ particular run…I'll be cat food. Not to mention, I could lose my license and my ship for having children joy-riding with me."

"Uncle Jim! Don't take us back!" the four cried, running toward him and throwing their arms around him.

"We'll be good!" Katherine promised.

"We won't get into trouble!" Charlotte added.

"We'll do whatever you tell us to!" Penny chimed in.

"We'll even work if you want us to!" Albert replied.

"Uncle Jim! We wanna stay here!" they all requested.

"Kids, it's dangerous being here," Jim protested. "Especially right now. I don't want you guys to get hurt. I'd feel guilty if anything happened to you, and your mother would kill me!"

"But we'd go with mummy on trips all the time!" Katherine argued.

"That's different," Jim replied. "It was your _mother's_ ship. And if your mother were here, I'd feel a lot better and bring you with me, but she's not. It's too dangerous."

"Uncle Jim!" they all whined and hugged him tighter. He sighed and rubbed his eyes again. He was getting a headache, and though he knew it would put him behind schedule, he had to get them back to the space port.

"I'm taking you _all_ back and that's final!" he snapped, making the children jerk back and Questa jumped. "Don't leave this cabin. I'm going to tell Mr. Reynolds to change our course."

"Jim, wait---!"

"No, Questa," he cut in again, heading for the door. "I can't risk something happening to any you. This is serious."

"I won't go through this again!" she said, making Jim freeze as he faced the door. "I lost someone already like this. Don't make me go through that again."

Jim sighed, deeply. He couldn't believe she was playing that card, but he supposed having just _her_ on the ship wouldn't be so bad, it was the children. He'd beat himself to death if anything happened to those kids. At least Questa he could protect, or she could take care of herself, but the kids…

"Kids, why don't you go into that room over there," Jim suggested, turning toward the five again and gesturing to an inner room in his cabin. "I need to talk to Questa alone. There're some books to read and you can look at the big holographic map if you'd like."

The children grinned and ran toward the room, shutting the door behind them and Jim stepped toward Questa as she looked up at him.

"Of course I don't want you to go through that again," he said, getting right to the point. "But I can't risk you getting hurt."

"If you want to take the children back, that's fine," she replied. "But don't leave _me _there to send you off on this mission you say is so dangerous. I can take care of myself. My father taught me to shoot a pistol, and I can fight for myself. If the children want to stay, I can protect them too!"

"If you're gonna keep insisting, I'll let you stay," Jim replied. "But you gotta convince those kids to go back. I'll contact Delbert and have him pick them up before we leave again."

"They won't leave without a fight," Questa advised.

"Then we'll just have to drag them off the ship kicking and screaming," Jim shrugged. "But at least they'll be safe."

Questa nodded and cast her eyes down as Jim sighed and rubbed his eyes again. The headache was right there, but a headache over getting the kids back now was better than being made into mince meat by Amelia later. He froze when he felt a pair of hands on his shoulders and looked up to see Questa gone and now behind him.

"What are you doing?" he asked, looking at her over his shoulder.

"You have a headache, don't you?" she guessed, rubbing his shoulders. "This used to help my father's headaches. He said I was good at this."

"I-I'm sure you are," Jim replied, lifting her hands from his shoulders and turning to face her again. "But, right now, I have to tell Allen that we need to go back. You have about three hours to try and convince the kids to go home."

Questa nodded again and stepped closer to him, making him frown. He realized her hands were still in his and let them go as if burned, but Questa only threw her arms around his neck, making him take a step back in shock.

"Thank you for letting _me_ stay," she whispered. "I'll try not to be too much trouble. I…I wouldn't want you to be mad at me."

Jim swallowed, feeling his heart thumping in his chest and praying Questa couldn't feel it, though he knew she probably could. He hesitantly wrapped his arms around her when she didn't move, and when he did, he felt her pull him a little closer. When she finally pulled away she was smiling so brightly that it made _him_ smile.

"Oh, my goodness, Jim Hawkins can smile!" she giggled and he rolled his eyes at her.

"Don't tell my men that," he requested and she giggled then impulsively pressed a kiss to his cheek. They both froze as her lips meet his face and she pulled away with wide eyes as he stared at her with his own eyes as round as saucers.

"I-I'm sorry," she breathed, a blush coming to her cheeks. "I didn't---"

She was cut off when he lifted his hands to cup her face in them and it was _his_ turn to be impulsive. They both closed their eyes as he pulled her in slowly, but a sudden jolt shook the cabin, making Jim fall back against his desk with Questa landing on his chest.

"What was that?" she wondered, breathlessly and Jim gripped her arms to stand her up and move her gently out of the way.

"Get into the room with the kids," he ordered, heading for the door. "I'll find out what's going on."

"Jim, be careful!" she called and he stopped as he opened the door to give her a smirk.

"Hey, I'm Captain Jim Hawkins," he shrugged. "I'm invincible, remember?"

Another jolt rocked the ship and he stumbled out the door as Questa ran into the other room where the children were huddled in a corner in fright.

"Auntie Questa! What's going on!" they cried as she reached them and held them in her arms when they threw themselves at her.

"Uncle Jim is going to find out right now, kids," she assured them. "He told me to stay with you guys here. We'll be safe here, I'm sure."

Another jolt rocked them and the children gripped tighter to Questa as she prayed nothing happened to Jim.

* * *

"Allen!" Jim called, stumbling around the ship toward the helm.

"We have a bit of a situation, Captain!" Allen reported, stumbling about the ship as well to get to his captain.

"Yes, I can see that, thank you," Jim replied sarcastically. "What exactly _is_ the situation, Mr. Reynolds?!"

"Asteroid field, Sir!" Allen replied as both men reached the helm and Jim shoved the spacer manning it away to man it himself. The ship jostled again as another asteroid hit it and Jim grabbed hold of the helm.

"All hands, get your life lines on immediately!" he shouted then looked to the man he'd shoved from the helm and ordered, "Make sure their all secure tightly, after each man has himself tied up, man."

"Aye, aye, Captain!" the man replied, scrambling to his feet as Jim turned to Allen.

"Go make sure Questa and the kids are alright and tell them to stay put until I get to them," he ordered. "They're in my cabin in the library."

"Aye, Captain," Allen nodded and hurried off to fulfill his duty, stumbling when another asteroid hit the ship.

"Would someone man that laser cannon!" Jim ordered and one spacer scurried off toward the cannon to start shooting down any asteroids that could cause major damage. They couldn't afford any of that, now.

* * *

Allen stumbled again as yet another asteroid hit the ship just as he opened the door to Jim's cabin and ran toward the library door.

"Miss Questa!" he called, opening the door.

"Allen! In the corner!" she called back, unable to move because the children had a tight grip on her and Allen went to them. "What's happening?!"

"We've run into an asteroid field," he replied, steadying himself against another jostle. "The captain wants you to stay here until he comes for you."

"That won't be hard," Questa replied and Allen gave a small smile.

"I have to help the captain," he said. "If you'll excuse me."

"No need to stand on ceremony, Mr. Reynolds, just go!" Questa replied and Allen started his rocky trek back to the deck.

"Wait!" Katherine called, and unlatched herself from Questa to run after him.

"Katherine! Come back here!" Questa called but the little girl ignored her and she turned to the three still attached to her. "Stay here and do _not_ move."

The three nodded and Questa shot after Katherine who had entered the main cabin.

"Katherine Doppler, you come back here this instant!" Questa shouted and the ship jostled again. She spotted the girl on the floor, having lost her footing when the ship rocked and the cabinet she and her siblings had been hiding in moments ago was shaking like mad, threatening to fall on the little one. Questa shouted for her to hurry to her feet as she ran toward her, seeing the cabinet ready to go down but the little girl was now too frightened to move.

The cabinet started its slow decent forward, toward Katherine but Questa quickly grabbed her as she ran past it, tumbling forward just as the cabinet landed on the floor and when the two girls stopped tumbling, Questa hit her head on the wall and was knocked unconscious.

* * *

**A/N:** *gasp* wut will happen next?! i dunno, lol! reviews?


	4. Prince and Princess

**A/N:** and here's the next chappie! enjoy!

* * *

_**Chapter 3: Prince and Princess**_

Jim sighed in exhaustion as he leaned on the helm, navigating through that field was one of the hardest things he'd done, but he was glad everyone was accounted for.

"We can't go back through that," he told himself. "Looks like Questa and the kids are here to stay till we get to Montressor Space Port." He sighed again, running a hand through his hair. "Their mother's gonna kill me when we get back."

"Captain!"

Jim jumped in surprise and looked to Allen as he stood on the main deck, his tone had been filled with panic, his face read the same.

"What's wrong, Mr. Reynolds?" Jim asked.

"It's Miss Questa, Sir!"

His first officer didn't need to say another word before Jim handed the helm off to someone else and shot down the stairs of the forecastle to his cabin, Allen right behind him. Once there he found Questa on the floor, unmoving, the children around her, shaking her and urging her to wake up, but she didn't. Jim rushed toward her and the children moved to let him gather her in his arms and put her on the bed on the far side of the room.

"Hey, Questa," he called gently, shaking her just a bit. "Wake up."

"Try slapping her," little Albert suggested and all eyes shot to him in shock as his sisters smacked him. "Ow! What?! That's what mom does to dad when he falls asleep!"

"I'll bring some water, Captain," Allen replied as Jim turned back to the unconscious Questa and the first officer left to the galley.

"Kiss her, Uncle Jim!" all three girls suggested, gathering around him and he looked at them in shock.

"What?!" he chirped.

"Like in the stories!" Penny replied.

"The Prince kisses the Princess to wake her up!" Katherine elaborated.

"And they all live happily ever after!" Charlotte grinned, finishing it off.

"Kiss her, Uncle Jim!" the girls said again and Jim frowned at them before turning back to Questa and staring at her a moment.

"Those are just _stories_," Albert piped up. "Uncle Jim isn't a Prince, he's the Captain of a ship."

"He could be _Auntie Questa's_ Prince," Charlotte corrected as Jim still stared at Questa.

"W-Well," he finally sputtered, drawing the children's attention. "I-I guess it wouldn't hurt to _try_." He quickly looked at the children and ordered, "No looking. Turn around or go back in the library or something."

"But they have pictures in the stories---"

"That's different," Jim quickly cut in as all three girls tried to get him to let them stay. "Don't look!"

"Uncle Jim is embarrassed," Albert whispered not-so-quietly to his sisters. "He's blushing!"

"I-I am _not_!" Jim lied, though he could feel his face heating up. "Go play in the library!"

The children giggled on their way back to the library and Jim made sure they'd shut the door before looking back at Questa and swallowing nervously. Little did he know they had opened the door again just enough to peek into the main cabin and watch, just to see if he'd actually do it.

"Please wake up, Questa," he whispered, tenderly running the back of his fingers over her cheek. When she didn't even stir he sighed and ran a hand through his hair again. He cleared his throat and clapped his tongue to moisten his suddenly dry mouth and leaned toward her slowly.

"_She's gonna kill me if she wakes up_," he thought, but still leaned toward her.

"It's like Sleeping Beauty!" Katherine whispered to Penny.

"Or Snow White!" Charlotte added, hearing her sisters.

"Or claws digging into my scalp!" Albert complained, being the lowest on the furry totem pole they created in the doorway.

Jim didn't notice the children, or if he did he was too busy still deliberating whether or not to kiss Questa. Yet, as undecided as he was, he still leaned toward her, and before he knew it, his lips were pressed to hers, his eyes closed and he couldn't help it when he gave a small smile.

Questa's eyes fluttered open, then closed, then shot wide when she realized what was going on, but she didn't move, or make a sound. When Jim finally pulled away, her eyes were still wide and filled with shock as a blush covered her cheeks. He saw her wide, blue eyes and immediately began to panic. He was going to die now, he was sure of it.

"A-Are you ok?" was all he could ask and she gave a frown, suddenly feeling the headache that was consuming her brain.

"My head hurts," she replied, closing her eyes tightly to will it away and pressing a hand to her forehead as she tried to sit up.

"Allen will be here any minute with some water," Jim replied, placing his hands on her shoulders and laying her back down. "You shouldn't move."

She didn't argue and instead looked up at him with wide eyes as she breathed, "The children---!"

"They're fine," he assured her and she sighed in relief then swallowed, knowing which question she wanted to ask.

"Did-Did you…?" she trailed off, unable to believe that he had kissed her. Jim swallowed as well, knowing what she was asking.

"W-Well," he stammered, rubbing the back of his neck. "You wouldn't wake up and…the kids thought…" He trailed off as she only stared at him and suddenly smiled. "What?"

"You really haven't changed, have you?" she smiled, taking his free hand in one of hers. "You seem different but not _too_ different from the first time I met you."

"Really?" he wondered, sitting next to her on the edge of the bed, still holding her hand. "Is that a good thing, or a bad thing?"

"It's good," Questa smiled. "I liked the way you were then, too."

Jim blinked with wide eyes as the blush returned to Questa's cheeks and Allen finally came back with water and a damp cloth.

"Miss Questa, you're awake!" he smiled as Jim still stared at her. "We were worried about you."

"Auntie Questa!" the children cheered, running toward her and she winced at the loudness but smiled anyway as they hugged her.

"Auntie Questa, Uncle Jim is your Prince now!" Penny grinned and both Jim and Questa blushed.

"W-What?!" Questa squeaked.

"Like Sleeping Beauty!" Katherine grinned as well.

"Or Snow White!" Charlotte chimed in.

"He woke you up with Love's First Kiss!" the girls beamed together and Allen smirked, trying not to snicker as he looked at his captain, who was _still_ blushing.

"Here's some water for you, Miss Questa," Allen said, trying to defuse the awkward situation.

"Th-Thank you, Allen," Questa replied, taking the glass of water in a daze as Allen placed the cloth over her head.

"That should help your headache, Miss," he smiled and as he passed his captain he muttered, "Didn't you have water _here_, she could drink, Sir?"

Jim was suddenly jolted from his embarrassment and glared at his first officer to retort, "_You_ were the one who suggested you'd get water!"

"That's right, Captain," Allen smirked. "Forgive me."

"Forgive nothin'!" Jim snapped in a harsh whisper. "Go make sure nothing else rams into my ship, will you?"

"Yes, Captain," Allen replied, saluting and heading for the door.

"Auntie Questa, was it everything you hoped your first kiss would be?!" Charlotte wondered at the woman but before she could answer, Jim stepped in.

"Alright, kids, why don't we let Auntie Questa get her rest now?" he smiled, ushering the children toward the library again. "Go play in there again and maybe later I'll take you out on deck. You have to promise to behave though."

The children cheered and ran into library as Jim shut the door behind them and sighed, walking back to Questa who only giggled.

"Well, I have things to do," he said, standing next to her as she still lay on the bed. "I'll let you rest then. If you need anything just press this button right here…" He leaned over to show her a red button next to her hand on the board of the bed. "Somebody will come in and tend to you. These men are all good spacers, so you don't need to worry."

"Thank you, Jim," she smiled but before he could turn to leave she beckoned him closer. He swallowed and leaned toward her as she gently gripped his jacket to bring him closer and kissed his cheek. He cleared his throat as he leaned back out and nodded awkwardly.

"Y-You're welcome," he muttered then said, "If the kids start to bother you, I'll come and show 'em around the ship. Maybe even put 'em to work."

"We're not taking them back to the Space Port?" she frowned in confusion and Jim sighed and shook his head.

"I can't risk any more damage going back through that asteroid field," he explained. "If we went back through that, the ship probably wouldn't make it. Right now, we're at greater risk going _back_ than going forward."

Questa nodded and said, "I'll protect them. You won't have to worry---"

She was cut off when he leaned forward and pressed a finger to her lips to silence her.

"You just worry about resting right now," he murmured as she stared at him with wide eyes, his own heart pounding in his chest as he pulled his hand away. "You'll need to get rid of that headache before you can handle those four."

Questa gave a giggle and nodded, slightly as Jim smiled warmly and leaned toward her, moving the cloth from her forehead to kiss it gently. Replacing the cloth he stood, still smiling and walked toward the door, shutting it quietly behind him and Questa let out a breath she didn't know she was holding.

"Rest, when all I can think about is _him_?" she groaned, lifting her hands to cover her face, as if that would help her sleep, but suddenly, her headache was just a little worse.

* * *

Jim leaned against his cabin door, trying to slow his racing heart by covering it with a hand. What in the world was he thinking, kissing her to wake her up?! Then kissing her forehead before he left! He wasn't her husband or boyfriend or anything like that, what was he thinking?!

"_You __weren't__ thinking_," he told himself. "_That's the __last__ time I listen to ten year olds!_"

He shook his head, trying to shake off his thoughts of Questa but it would take a bit more than that to rid his mind of her. He sighed and headed toward the stairs of the forecastle to stand at the helm which Allen handed off without issue. Jim stared ahead as Allen stood next to him, his hands behind his back. His first officer ventured to ask a question after a moment or so.

"How is Miss Questa now, Sir?" he wondered.

"She's resting," Jim replied, not looking at him. "If the kids start to bug her, I'm gonna bring them out here. I…_may_ need help with them, so…"

"I understand, Sir," Allen nodded. "I'll take them off your hands whenever you need me to."

"Thanks, Allen," Jim sighed and leaned on the helm a bit. Allen glanced at his captain, somehow knowing what he was thinking of and decided to be proactive and take care of anything that needed tending on the ship to leave Jim with his thoughts.

Jim smiled when he remembered the kiss he'd given Questa. Soft and warm, just enough to make his heart pound in his chest. His heart started pounding all over again. He'd never experienced anything like _that_, and it made him not regret his actions. Maybe the kids were right? Maybe he _was_ her Prince…and _she_ was his Princess?

* * *

**A/N:** i couldnt resist the cuteness! i love these kids! they're trouble makers but they're so CUTE! and so, what do think? reviews?


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